'Fighting and vomiting in the street'- pub faces licence review

Patrons from the North Dorset bar are alleged to have caused a nuisance in the street, including fighting, urinating and being sick.

Neighbours, represented by Conservative councillor Belinda Rideout, have forced a licence review for the premises, although there has been no police or environmental health objections.

Anti-social behaviour outside the Queen Street bar is said to peak in the street around closing time on some days with occasional noise from the premises and rear beer garden, although the outside area is closed at 11pm.

The bar says it has already suggested steps to reduce the chances of problems and has offered to work with neighbours, the police and others, although it says there is nothing much it can do about people in the street, who might not have come from the premises.

The review of the licence has been triggered by ward councillor Rideout on behalf of neighbours. It will be heard in Dorchester next Monday (29th) in a public meeting at County Hall.

Councillors due to conduct the review will be told that since the request for a review was made, the licence has been transferred from the Charles Carter Group Ltd to Rocky Bars Ltd with Mr Scott Rock, who has been managing the premises for several years, now the Designated Premises Supervisor.

During a consultation eight public representations were submitted – six in support of the bar and two backing a review of the licence.

Cllr Rideout says she has held several meetings with resident living close to the bar since last summer about their concerns and believes the operation of the bar, at that point, contravened licensing objectives.

She claims the problems had become worse since the bar adopted what she describes as night-club hours in August 2021 with noise from amplified music and patrons in the street until the early hours, the bar normally closing at 2am, although allowed to open longer.

Said Cllr Rideout in a statement to the licensing panel: “This is a residential street with families with young children. Residents should not have to put up with the noise nuisance and the seasonal barrage of anti-social behaviour, including shouting, swearing, fighting, urinating and vomiting in the street and on private property. As well as the consequential littering and inconsiderate parking issues. From all the evidence I have seen, it is clear that there are significant failings with the security arrangements at Rocky’s Bar, which has led to the untenable situation residents are having to endure, leading to feelings of anxiousness, intimidation and general unhappiness in their own homes and gardens for a significant part of the year.

“Residents need the re-assurance that stricter conditions and improved security is put in place immediately, and along with regular Policing, to ensure customers’ behaviour is properly monitored and upheld.”

In evidence to the committee Dorset Council’s environmental health team say it had 15 complaints about Rocky’s bar over 32 months with three residents logging what they had seen and heard, although none demonstrated a statutory noise nuisance and recording equipment installed in a nearby house over two weeks failed to record any significant noise levels.

The department’s report notes: “Noise in the street cannot be considered by environmental health as we cannot hold the pub responsible when the customers are off the premises.”

Letters in support of the bar talk about the business being “a revelation” bringing people together with a shared interest in sport and music and praise bar staff for their positive attitude. One says it is “the best thing” to happen in the town for many years.

Said one supporter: “The bar put on great entertainment for all ages and is one of the only pubs anywhere I feel safe taking my children (10,9,4,2 years old) for an afternoon to watch the football and play some pool.”

Another said incidents reported by a small number of residents had been “massively exaggerated” and said that Rocky’s staff were always quick to disperse people gathering in the street around closing time.

Said one near-neighbour: “I feel Rockys Bar is being painted in an unnecessarily bad light. I'm not a patron myself as I don't fit the demographic, but for sports fans, and indeed the 18-25 age group, this is one of the few places in Gillingham that caters for them, and in my opinion this should be allowed to continue.”

A statement from the bar outlines its support for local sports, charity events, musicians and DJs and says safety remains a prime consideration: “We also pride ourselves as a family friendly bar and a safe space for young person’s particularly young women who all too often do not feel safe to go out.”

The statement says that several customers have been barred in the past for urinating in the street and says that many of the activities complained about outside the bar are likely to be people who have come from elsewhere in the town.

“I do not have any power to move these people on down the road as they are members of the public, and Queen Street is a public place. We also occasionally get persons that have previously been barred from Rocky’s attempting to come in and when they get refused entry or asked to leave, they will loiter on the street outside. Other than threaten to increase the length of ban I, or door staff, again have no power to move a member of public away from the bar… “Our overall stance is that we are and always have been willing to work with the authorities and neighbours, but sometimes the neighbours are not willing to work with us. We will continue to enforce all our current policies and procedures we have in place and would welcome any guidance/ alternative solutions from the police, neighbours, licensing and anyone else concerned or qualified to give advice,” said the statement.